Enigmo iPhone App Review.

With the App Store turning 1 this week, we wanted to remember some of the original games that came out with its launch one year ago. Since we're really into puzzle games, we wanted to review such a game that, even though 1 year old, still plays out real nice on our devices. So we remembered a little game called Enigmo, that really stirred up spirits at the WWDC '08 and easily captured developers, reviewers, and users' attention. At that conference it was voted as "best iPhone game," a rank that Enigmo can easily compete for with similar puzzle games within its range even today.

You start out the new game with Level 1, and two buckets of water on the screen - one is hanging upside down pouring water drops, and one is sitting on a platform. The two buckets are not aligned so the water spills onto the floor, so the object of the game is to get the drops of water from one bucket to pour to the other. You're given several tools at your disposal, depending on the level you're at and what you need to build a complex platform system that will successfully direct the water to the target bucket. You are however limited on supplys, so you must plan where exactly each tool will go to play as an integral part of your system.

Different tools have different characteristics. For example the trampoline will bounce water drops higher in the air off it, the platform will simply direct them will the sponge will gather all the drops that are aimed towards it and let them all drop downwards underneath. You can easily manipulate every tool you use in your puzzle. Once selected, you can reposition it, rotate it, expand it, or you can use a pinch gesture to zoom in or out of the game screen to gain detail or perspective. The controls are really awesome, and they take little to no time to get used to.

Puzzles get, of course, extensively harder as you progress through the 50 levels of the game. You get a certain amount of bonus points, depending on how fast you move through each level, so it's also a race against time if you want to get that high score. In addition to the standard 50 levels, you can download other levels for free, so you can always enjoy this game.

The graphics are down right amazing. A high level of detail and finesse, you can easily tell Enigmo is the result of a lengthy process. The game acts and works fantastic. Truly a timeless and finely crated piece of art to enjoy.

Enigmo comes from the developers at Pangea Software at a price of $1.99, which might seem a little bit steeper than your regular 99-cent games out there, but it definitely outranks them in many if not all aspects. Enigmo proves that at the WWDC '08 it was already a game ahead of its time, and few games of such a complexity, great design and usability come close to it today.